MINNEAPOLIS – Jake Ellenberger avenged his first career loss and got back in the win column.

In a workmanlike performance in which he kept a slight edge throughout the fight, the welterweight contender edged UFC returnee Jay Hieron to pick up a decision victory.

The bout co-headlined Friday’s UFC on FX 5 event at Minneapolis’ Target Center. It aired on FX following prelims on FUEL TV.

Ellenberger launched his pro career with a 12-0 record before a decision loss to Hieron at a 2007 IFL event. However, in their second meeting, which was moved to UFC on FX 5 following this past month’s UFC 151 cancellation, Ellenberger got his revenge.

The first round was largely a strategic one. Both fighters were light on their feet and easily slipped punches. But Ellenberger briefly wobbled his opponent with a short uppercut, and he showed remarkable takedown defense when Hieron grabbed a single leg.

In the second, Hieron struck first with a short counter left, but his high kicks and continued spinning back kicks were continually checked. Ellenberger then scored a takedown midway through the round, but after eating some elbows, Hieron kicked his way back to his feet. The rest of the round saw little action as each fighter stifled the other’s advances, but Ellenberger had a case for winning both rounds.

In the final frame, both fighters got a breather when Ellenberger got hit with an accidental low kick to the groin. But on the restart, Hieron became the aggressor with a variety of kicks before Ellenberger shot but failed with a takedown attempt. Both fighters opened up in the final minute, but neither landed anything substantial.

Instead, the fight ended on a rather quiet note. However, Ellenberger did enough to get the judges’ nod, and he took the unanimous-decision victory via 29-28 scores across the board.

“I was doing a lot of defense and counter-training for this fight,” Ellenberger said. “Jay’s a well-rounded fighter. He is quick, athletic and dangerous. It was hard to come into this fight with a game plan for him.

“It’s back to training for me and finding ways to keep improving and making adjustments to my game. But it does feel good, though, to get this win.”

Ellenberger (28-6 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who had won six straight fights before a loss to Martin Kampmann in May, assures he’ll remain in the welterweight division’s title talk and should get a marquee opponent in his next bout.

Hieron (23-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC), fighting in the UFC for the first time since 2005, spoils a recent 11-1 run that included a Bellator tournament championship and a pair of Strikeforce wins.

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